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Using the law illegally against doctors
Posted on March 17, 2019 by Pharmaciststeve
Why you SHOULDN’T have to wait at the pharmacy
Posted on March 17, 2019 by Pharmaciststeve
Why you SHOULDN’T have to wait at the pharmacy
https://www.pharmacistanonymous.com/post/comebacklater
Alright. This one is really going to get me in trouble. I can already see it. I’m prepared. OK. Here goes. *deep breath*
We all know how annoying it is having to wait on pharmacists to take pills out of one bottle and put them in another, and it seems like it takes them way too long for some reason.
I could beat around the bush for 5 paragraphs getting to this point, but here it is. You shouldn’t HAVE to wait at the pharmacy, with the exception of a few situations. And the reason you shouldn’t have to wait, is because you should really just …go home. Or wherever. Go have lunch. Go grocery shopping. Visit Mars. Just don’t “wait for it” at the pharmacy, unless you have a good reason, i.e. the Rx is for a person who has just had surgery, you’re leaving the ER, or you have a houseful of sick children and can’t get back out to pick them up, whatever. These are all good reasons that you may need medication quickly (not an exhaustive list, obviously).
However.
Don’t. Fall. Into. the. Corporate. Trap.
Chain pharmacies have sold America on convenience. They’ve sold us with the promise of 15-minute or less wait times for prescriptions, drive thru pharmacy lanes, and over-the-top customer service guarantees.
What they don’t want to tell you is that those promises are 100% for their benefit, not yours.
Here’s why you should go home (or visit Mars) instead of “just waiting for it”:
1. Because your health is more important than that. YOU are more important than that.
This isn’t a burger you’re picking up at McDonald’s. It’s medication. Even if your specific medication “isn’t that big of a deal”, wouldn’t it BE a big deal if you accidentally got the WRONG medication? You may have only needed a short term antiflammatory – whoops, you were one of 20 people wanting their Rxs “as soon as possible” and you accidentally got a blood thinner you didn’t need. Yep, that could kill you.
2. It’s just not that urgent.
We’re talking community pharmacy here, not high-acuity medicine. Yes, as already mentioned, there are understandable reasons to request an expedited Rx. “Just because” or “It’s more convenient” are not among them. In case you didn’t know, many pharmacy employees are forced to promise you these quick service times, knowing they often aren’t safe or realistic.
3. It’s actually dangerous.
One person who needs their Rx done quickly – ok, that’s not a big deal as a pharmacist – provided there’s nothing wrong with it. The issue comes when EVERYONE wants their Rx “as soon as you can have it”. Now the pharmacy staff is scrambling to fill 15 different people’s medications in under a minute apiece to beat the corporate-imposed clock.
4. It’s not fair to other patients.
You may not know this, but even if you don’t see anyone else anyyyyywhere near the pharmacy, there’s still a line (always). It’s called an invisible queue, because only the workers can see it. Their computer screen is filled with a list of people whose prescriptions are in process and set to be ready at a certain time. These may be people who dropped off a prescription this morning, or asked for a refill, or had their doctor send in a new prescription. They are carefully timed in the queue, and every time you ask to “wait for it”, you’re jumping line, whether you know it or not (and now you do!). Now the folks that have been waiting patiently for their turn, may wait even longer because 12 other people “needed theirs right away.”
5. Prescriptions are not as simple as they look.
Reading hieroglyphics is a skill we learn early in pharmacy education, but there is much more than that to prescription interpretation. Your prescription may say something clear as day, but the pharmacist reading it may see further than meets the eye. Something that a layperson would accept as legitimate instructions may set off alarm bells in the eyes of a person who has studied medications for years, because doctors make deadly mistakes too. But if the pharmacist is in a rush to fill everyone’s prescriptions, some errors are easy to overlook.
6. It’s actually a trick to get your money.
Corporate pharmacies advertise their less-than-15-minute promises knowing full well they aren’t consistently true, and it’s not really to make your visit to the pharmacy more convenient. They think that if they can convince you that it’s better to just stick around for a few minutes that you are more likely to pick up and buy items off the OTC and toiletry shelves while you’re there. They also know that once 10 minutes of your time is down the tubes, you’re more likely to continue sticking around than to leave and come back later, even if you already realize the 15 minute promise isn’t happening. Plus, it makes them look competitive with other pharmacies and helps them fill more prescriptions in a shorter amount of time, thus making more $$$.
To a pharmacist, you’re not a customer. You’re a patient. You’re not here to buy a product. You’re here so that they can ensure you get the appropriate medication in a safe way. But these foolish promises of speedy “service” have chipped away at our ability to ensure that for you. It’s a long story you can read about here if you want to know why our hands are tied and why your safety is being irresponsibly endangered to pad corporate profit margins.
So what can you do instead? What’s the best way to make sure your prescriptions are carefully handled and thoroughly checked? The most important part is to choose your pharmacy carefully. If possible, find one where you can become familiar with the staff. Choose the pharmacy where the staff is already grabbing your medication as you walk to the counter (but are still confirming your identifying information for safety’s sake!). Get to know your pharmacist and pharmacy technicians. It doesn’t take much, just a friendly conversation each time you interact, and they’ll likely remember you and go out of their way to help you with anything you need. And finally, when you drop off a prescription and the pharmacy staff asks, “when would you like to pick this up”, be a smart and educated consumer and respond with a reasonable time (for truly non-urgent medications).
How to help yourself…and your pharmacist.
The short of it is, the pharmacy corporations aren’t going to change their policies to protect you, so you have to do it yourself. Vote with your money and go to pharmacies that care about YOU. Even better, vote with your voice by visiting our Take Action page. And spread the word, because the more people that are in the know, the less people will be clamoring for instant Rxs, and the more the pharmacists and technicians will have time to slow down and actually evaluate your medications in the way they were extensively trained to do.
You wouldn’t want your surgeon to rush through your procedure, or your accountant to rush through your taxes, so please, don’t ask your pharmacist or technicians to rush with your medications.
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Union CVS Pharmacists have been working WITHOUT A CONTRACT FOR THREE YEARS
Posted on March 17, 2019 by Pharmaciststeve
THE PDMP & ITS BRANDING OF PAIN PATIENTS
Posted on March 17, 2019 by Pharmaciststeve
https://youtu.be/xYp1hGOI_2k
LET’S BE FRIENDS, FOLLOW ME EVERYWHERE MY LOVES: INSTAGRAM: http://www.instagram.com/cayleecresta TWITTER: http://www.twitter.com/cayleecresta YOUNOW: cayleecresta PATREON: https://www.patreon.com/cayleecresta & SEND ME LETTERS! PO BOX 234 Wilmington, MA 01887 For business inquiries: caylee.cresta@gmail.com Hello Everyone! Welcome to today’s video! Today we will be discussing the danger of flags and the Prescription Drug Monitoring Program. I have a strong personal connection to this issue and it is a concept that terrifies me daily. I have considered making a video including my personal story with pharmacy flags, but as always, I want these videos to be about US rather than myself. If you would like to see my story in reference to this issue please let me know in the comments below! Let me say briefly that I do not object to the concept of a PDMP but rather would like to see exemptions made for pain patients and room for explanation in the database that often proves to be incredibly damaging for those suffering from chronic pain. In addition, the PDMP has increased the sense of fear felt by both pharmacists and doctors nationwide and naturally, that means that legitimate prescriptions are severely impacted as a result. Anything that deters the ability to obtain legal and medically necessary prescriptions is destructive to patient care and I hope this video is helpful in exposing the unintended consequences of government regulations on opioids. I love you all! Keep being warriors! Love, Caylee Xo’s PS: If you’re waiting for a makeup tutorial, one will be posted tomorrow! #chronicpain #chronicillness #opioids #spoonies #health #opioidepidemic #opioidcrisis #patients #painpatients #pharmacists #pharmacy #health #healthcare #prescriptiondrugs #pain
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Civil Rights Case Gives Hope to Pain Patients
Posted on March 17, 2019 by Pharmaciststeve
www.painnewsnetwork.org/stories/2019/2/1/civil-rights-case-gives-hope-to-pain-patients
By Richard Dobson, MD, Guest Columnist
People with chronic disabling pain frequently complain that doctors discharge them from their practice because of the medications they take. Sometimes doctors refuse to accept patients who are taking opioid pain medications, even though the medications treat a legitimate medical condition.
There may be hope that such actions will be considered violations of the civil rights of patients.
This week the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice (DOJ) signed a formal agreement with Selma Medical Associates, a large primary care practice in Virginia, that may open the door for people with chronic pain to regain their full access to medical care.
Selma Medical refused to schedule a new patient appointment for a man who was taking the addiction treatment drug Suboxone. He filed a civil rights complaint asserting that his rights were violated because has a disability.
According to the complaint, Selma Medical “regularly turns away prospective new patients who are treated with narcotic controlled substances such as Suboxone.”
The DOJ and Selma Medical settled the complaint out-of-court. The full agreement can be read here.
In essence, Selma Medical agreed to stop discriminating on the basis of disability, including opioid use disorder (OUD). The settlement identifies several specific ways that Selma Medical was violating the civil rights of people with disabilities.
“By refusing to accept the Complainant for a new family practice appointment solely because he takes Suboxone, Selma Medical discriminated against him by denying him the full and equal enjoyment of the goods, services, facilities, privileges, advantages, or accommodations of Selma Medical.
By turning away the Complainant and other prospective patients who are treated with narcotic controlled substances, including Suboxone, Selma Medical imposed eligibility criteria that screen out or tend to screen out individuals with OUD.
Further, Selma Medical failed to make reasonable modifications to policies, practices, or procedures, when such modifications are necessary to afford such goods, services, facilities, privileges, advantages, or accommodations to individuals with disabilities.”
In the agreement, Selma Medical agreed to stop discriminating now and in the future. The staff and administration are also required to undergo intensive training on the implementation of the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA).
Importantly for pain patients, the agreement applies to people taking “narcotic medications” for any reason and is not limited to people who are taking Suboxone for OUD. The agreement does seem to imply that people taking opioid medications also have their civil rights violated if they are refused medical care on the basis of their diagnosis and their use of opioids.
A former staff attorney in the DOJ’s Civil Rights Division agrees.
“This formal settlement agreement from DOJ affirms that discrimination in access to medical treatment based solely on an individual’s use of a particular medication — in this case, a narcotic controlled substance — may violate the law,” says Kate Nicholson, a pain patient and civil rights attorney who helped draft federal regulations under the ADA.
Anyone who has chronic pain and who is discharged from a practice or refused admission to a medical practice should let the medical staff know that this is a violation of the ADA. Show them the agreement between Selma Medical and the DOJ. Then if the medical practice still refuses care, file a formal complaint with the Office of Civil Rights. Instructions on filing can be found here.
As part of the settlement agreement, Selma Medical had to pay $30,000 to the complainant for “the discrimination and the harm he has endured, including, but not limited to, emotional distress and pain and suffering.” Selma Medical also had to pay a civil penalty of $10,000.
It seems to me that the substance of this agreement gives real hope to the chronic pain community that discrimination based on disability, even if the disability is based on pain, is illegal and violates their civil rights.
Richard Dobson, MD, worked as a physician in the Rochester, New York area for over 30 years, treating and rehabilitating people suffering from chronic pain, mostly as the result of work or motor vehicle accidents. He is now retired.
In reading between the lines of this article, it does not say that this pt was a chronic pain pt or a substance abuse pt in treatment. I have stated many time that I had concerns that chronic pain pts being treated with Suboxone for pain that at some time down the path that someone would jump to the conclusion that the pt was a substance abuser or a substance abuser in recovery… when in reality they were being treated with Suboxone for chronic pain. It has been reported that not every chronic pain pt will have adequate pain management using Suboxone.
Just like we seen healthcare professional will take the 90 odd pages of the CDC opiates dosing guidelines and find a favorite sentence, paragraph or page …typically evolving around the 90 MME daily limit and don’t ready any further, but adopt that daily MME limit and profess that they are following the CDC guidelines.
This article also doesn’t clarify if the pt is in substance abuse treatment/recovery or a chronic pain pt.. just automatically LABELED as a pt dealing with OUD – OPIATE USE DISORDER.. which many likes to define as a pt taking opiates (legally/illegally) for > 90 days. It would seem no more labels as a substance abuser/addict or a pt being legally treated with one or more controlled substances that will create a physical dependency. Everyone seems to be lumped into just one classification…
Just like we seldom see the use of a accidental opiate OD… but rather a broader term – opiate related death… whereas anyone whose toxicology shows a opiate or controlled substance in their toxicology … one of the causes of their death will be “opiate use disorder” and most likely will be the first listed cause of death.
One can only come to the conclusion that these new terms serves the agenda of certain parts of our bureaucracy… basically falsely creating LARGER NUMBERS … just like they like to report the 72k DRUG OVERDOSE DEATHS and then imply that they are all caused by opiates.. and fail to acknowledge that within that number 15K are caused by NSAIDS. They also just state that FENTANYL is involved in more and more OD’s but they fail to acknowledge that there are some 1400 different Fentanyl analogs and the only one that is legal for human use in the USA is Fentanyl Citrate.
there seems to be a lot of SMOKE AND MIRRORS being used to fabricate a conclusion or what reality REALLY ISN’T
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Pharmacist refused to fill Rx because NOT ENOUGH PROFIT
Posted on March 16, 2019 by Pharmaciststeve
Dear Mr. Ariens:
I recently went to a pharmacy for my daughter’s controlled medication that she had a refill left. The normal pharmacist was on holiday.
The visiting pharmacist advised she looked into the cost of the medication and noted that the insurance was only 2 percent and that was too little. She replied she could transfer the prescription to another pharmacy.
While at the pharmacy I called the insurance company (Medicare) to get an explanation.
She over heard my conversation and exclaimed that the medication was covered, but she felt the loss was to much and again said she could transfer to another pharmacy.
Can she deny my daughter her medication (treatment) because she felt that Medicare was paying too little for the $3,300 cost of the medication? This pharmacy has filled this medication at least since 2012.
What can I do and can I file an ADA discrimination or pharmacy board compliant? Please note:This pharmacy is located in an exclusive zip code and her comments were very upsetting to My disabled daughter.
Thanks in advance for your assistance.
These “drug cards” – PBM (Prescription Benefit Manager) have in their contract that pharmacies normally states that the pharmacy must fill valid Rxs if the pharmacy has the medication in stock.. it does not matter if the pharmacy makes or loses money on the prescription.
Some independent pharmacists have stated – that the reason they sold/closed their pharmacies was because they were losing money on >25% of all prescriptions they fill.
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Doc had a feud with WalMart Pharmacy and their is no question that the local Walmart retaliated against my family physician by using the DEA
Posted on March 16, 2019 by Pharmaciststeve
Pain medicine was a by-thought to me. My main medicine was Lorazepam 3 x a day that saved my life 24 years ago when a respected psychiatrist ruled out other medicines and put me on it.
I had severe panic disorder that had destroyed my life. For 24 years, I lived a normal life with this simple medicine, not even a narcotic.
My Psychiatrist retired and called my PCP in 2012 to continue the lorazepam established treatment.
My PCP agreed to continue the care. My family doctor, who’s elderly now, also was the last physician to treat cancer patients, the elderly, and provide end of life care pain relief to local residents.
HE WAS JUST RAIDED BY THE DEA last month. He had a feud with WalMart Pharmacy and their is no question that the local Walmart retaliated against my family physician by using the DEA.
Quitting my simple lorazepam suddenly can actually cause death. 2 of my 3 refills were invalidated, even though I have the soonest appointment to see another Psych in May.
I’m down dosing myself and I’m physically now at significant risk of seizures and death. My blood pressure writing this is at 170/110, pulse 90 because I’m down dosing myself for lack of any help in the medical field. My pharmacists feels helpless because he knows I don’t abuse medicine and is well aware of my disorder.
Because my family doctor was busted by the DEA for treating patients humanly, I can’t go to an ER because I would be labeled a drug addict, even though Lorazepam withdrawals can kill and isn’t even a narcotic!
I just want my life back, but since I will run out of simple anxiety medicine. I may not survive more than a month from now. It’s not like I’m 20 and healthy and can adjust. My heart literally can’t take it.
Please sign me up to sue the DEA in honor of my physician and for the HELL I’m going through even though I was a law-abiding citizen who took my medicine responsibly!
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WE’VE LOST YET ANOTHER BEAUTIFUL SOUL….FELLOW WARRIOR SONYA WHITE HAS PASSED
Posted on March 16, 2019 by Pharmaciststeve
WE’VE LOST YET ANOTHER BEAUTIFUL SOUL….FELLOW WARRIOR SONYA WHITE HAS PASSED
💜💜😢😢REST IN PEACE SWEET ANGEL 😢😢💜💜
FROM HEATHER VAN WOLF:
It is with great sadness that I must share this news.
Our beloved member, advocate and warrior for the Coalition for the Terminally Ill Disabled and Elderly Sonya White has passed away on Thursday March 7, 2019 at 30 years old. She is survived by her two beautiful children, her loving husband, family and friends.
Many of you knew Sonya as a vibrant vocal advocate with a witty sense of humor fighting for those living with severe pain who were mistreated and discriminated against in hospitals, doctors offices and pharmacies.
Sonya asked that we not be silent about her terrifying struggle to obtain even the most basic medical care.
Sonya lived with an aggressive glioblastoma wreaking havoc to her mind and body without being diagnosed or treated until it was untreatable and terminal.
Sonya sought medical care for seven years, having developed a deep mind body connection and feeling that “something was not right in her head.” Doctors would not take her complaints seriously.
Suffering severe pain and mobility issues, Doctors repeatedly ignored her complaints and due to patient profiling, refused to administer rigorous diagnostic tests and repeatedly sent her away misdiagnosed as malingering, mood disorder or psychosomatic illness all while the cancer spread through her brain . Refused diagnostic tests meant Sonya could receive no treatment for the increasing signs and symptoms from the brain cancer.
Sonya asked that we share her life story because this alarming abuse of her most basic human right to life-saving diagnostic testing is becoming epidemic.
The discrimination she faced is increasingly common in the US, UK, EU and in Ontario as hospitals and doctors are deputized by law enforcement to assume all patient complaints of pain are likely malingerers, drug addicts, psychiatric patients or alcoholics.
She fought hard to stop patient-profiling which denied her the most basic life-saving medical care. People who complain of pain or who dress a certain way or look a certain way are being triaged right out of society.
We have lost a hero for the terminally ill disabled and elderly. Sonya’s girls lost their precious mother and we have lost a friend.
She was a valiant mountain climber on an invisible mountain and she will remain in our hearts and minds forever.
Sending love and light to you precious Sonya. You are loved forever.
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As seen on the web 03-15-2019
Posted on March 16, 2019 by Pharmaciststeve
Today, I traveled to Salem to testify again in front of the committee that will determine the proposed State opioid policy outcome.
If it were to pass, the policy mandates Medicaid patients with certain chronic pain conditions, including fibromyalgia, be forcibly tapered off of their opiates. Chronic pain patients need more tools, NOT less. In the video below you can hear my testimony and further thoughts on this extremely important issue.
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Linder v. United States
Posted on March 15, 2019 by Pharmaciststeve
Linder v. United States
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linder_v._United_States
Linder v. United States, 268 U.S. 5 (1925),[1] is a Supreme Court case involving the applicability of the Harrison Act. The Harrison Act was originally a taxing measure on drugs such as morphine and cocaine, but it later effectively became a prohibition on such drugs. However, the Act had a provision exempting doctors prescribing the drugs. Dr. Charles O. Linder prescribed the drugs to addicts in Moore, Oklahoma, which the federal government said was not a legitimate medical practice. He was prosecuted and convicted. Linder appealed, and the Supreme Court unanimously overturned his conviction, holding that the federal government overstepped its power to regulate medicine. The opinion of the court was written by Justice James Clark McReynolds and states, “Obviously, direct control of medical practice in the states is beyond the power of the federal government.”
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